The Oxford University Water Polo team sent a trophy around the world rather than allowing the Cambridge team, who beat them in the last Varsity tie, to hold the trophy.

A ‘Cambridge Tab’ newspaper article alleges that “an opportunistic bunch from the Oxford squad made away with the trophy.”

However one member of the Oxford team, Nick Worsley, claims that the move was made to protect the trophy, stating, “Cambridge were awarded the Varsity trophy following their win, however in the exuberance at the unexpected result, they managed to break the base off the trophy. They took the two halves of the trophyto the after-party at Vodka Revs, but amid the confusion they left the top section of the trophy in the club.”

He explained, “We were anxious that such an important piece of water polo memorabilia should not fall into the hands of other thieving Tabs, as it is extremely valuable, and worth over £1,000. We therefore rescued the trophy and chained it to our women’s vice-captain using a gold chain.
“Upon its return to Oxford, the trophy begged not to be immediately returned to Cambridge, telling us that it had always dreamed of seeing the world and had taken an instant dislike to the filthy Tabs. We therefore bought the trophy a round the world ticket, and packed it off at Heathrow airport.

“We posted it back to Cambridge with a number of holiday snaps inside. We had no response from the Cambridge team until a news article appeared in their student paper last week, a typical example of their boring and isolationist nature.”

The trophy took in sights as varied as London, Bedford, San Francisco, Wales and India, before being sent back to Cambridge. The photos show it in famous locations such as Stanford University and London’s Southbank, as well as in front of the entrance of Bangalore University, India and on numerous beaches around the world.

Club treasurer Imogen Pierce said, “I feel we gave this prestigious trophy the world tour and exposure it deserves!

“We were, however equally horrified at the negligence of the Cambridge team to give up the trophy so easily after last year’s game. They are still in possession of one of our match hats, we’d quite like it back, new ones are £18.95.”

The Varsity match is taking place this weekend at Iffley Pool and is apparently going to be an “epic sporting occasion.” Oxford are hoping to regain the trophy and stop it once more slipping into the hands of the “filthy Tabs.”

When asked whether any further travels are planned for the trophy, Nick Worsley replied “Funny you should ask. After all this media attention, I think the trophy might like a bit of R & R. We were thinking maybe a cruise.”

On Saturday night, party animal ‘Old Man Bridge’ attended Balliol’s Valentine’s Bop after receiving an invitation from several students.

The self-proclaimed “enigmatic” man, who asked Cherwell to keep his true identity secret, stayed for just thirty minutes, but found time to appear on stage for a bop set. He described his attendance as “a social-only visit.”

He told Cherwell that he had received other invitations to bops at different colleges on the same night but chose to opt for Balliol’s event. He added that he was “honoured to have been invited,” though labelled the bop as “routine.”

Mr Bridge also stated that he was “pleasantly surprised to find less vom than usual” at the event, particularly as such is “a given” at most bops.

He stated that he attends bops “regularly but invariably briefly,” and that he has been to “many, many other bops,” although he would not reveal where he plans to visit next.

Speaking of his arrival at Balliol, he claimed that he has “come across worse welcomes” and that students were “nice to him,” later adding that he felt students had largely “reacted pleasantly” to his visit.

Students who attended the bop seem to be largely in agreement. Sarah Edwards stated, ‘You know it’s a big night when you see him out.”

First year Classicist Emily Troup seconded such a view, stating it was “great to have him there” as he “really created a buzz about the place.” She added, “That guy’s a legend, and a damn nifty dancer too.”

Eleanor Halls, a first year French student, said that he is a “deeply interesting character” and that his presence at nights out “highlights Oxford’s stance against ageism of any sort.” She added, “Old Man Bridge should be an example to us all: you’re never too old to party.”  

Sam Rabinowitz, Balliol’s JCR Dean, added, “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

New research has claimed that Facebook could actually be good for your mental state.
The study found that “the successful spread of SNSs [social networking sites] might be associated with a specific positive affective state experienced by users.”

The researchers wired up 30 students and monitored the reactions of their brain, blood pressure, skin conductance, pupil dilation and heart rate to gauge levels of excitement, arousal, stress and relaxation. They found that three minutes looking at Facebook had significantly different  effects to three minutes spent looking at panoramic landscapes  or a complicated mathematical problem.

The landscapes relaxed students the most, and the maths tasks were most stressful. However the social networkers experienced high levels of arousal and excitement. Baroness Susan Greenfield, distinguished scientist and Oxford University professor, commented that the findings “sit entirely with my theory that social networking stimulates the reward pathways in the brain. It would explain the appeal.”

She has pointed out however that Facebook could have psychological drawbacks, expressing worry about “declines in empathy” and the promotion of the self as a “commodity.”

She added, “I see no evil in social networking per se: it’s when it monopolises someone that it becomes the problem. Social networking in itself is not bad for the brain, but you have to look at the context in which it’s used, and for how often each day.”

Psychology student Merabi Chkhenkeli explained, “We experience a varying amount of stresses and natural highs throughout the day, and the positive effects of a quick scroll through Facebook are likely to be insignificant in comparison to the long term effects associated with frequent use of Facebook. Facebook can be both a great tool and a great distraction.”

Whether Facebook makes students happy or not, it is considered indispensable by many. Alice Goldman, a Hertford first year, stated, “Facebook makes me worried that it will one day control my life, but sadly it’s too useful to give up.”

Rebecca Schofield, a finalist at Somerville, told Cherwell, “I once tried to cut back on my Facebook, getting more time for sleep and a social life instead, but I soon discovered that I had nothing to talk to my friends about, as I simply knew nothing of their lives.

“I instead decided long ago to replace my social life with Facebook. I get all of the gossip and none of the awkward human interaction. I find myself trying to ‘like’ things people say in real life; sure, it’s a strange side effect, but not as bad as when I went through my twitter phase and made all my essays 140 characters.”

An OUSU report has shown that a third of students do not receive their marked collections by fourth week.

The data collected from the OUSU survey on collections last term, showed that of the 270 collections sat, 33% of them were returned by the end of second week, and 30% hadn’t been given back by fourth week. There was a “long tail” with regards to the return of collections, and if collections were not returned by second week, it was much less likely that they would have received them back by fifth week.

The survey also highlighted how some undergraduates felt they received very few comments on collections, believing that they didn’t get an indication about what their answers were lacking or what they could have done to strengthen their answers.

One second-year who only received their collection back at the end of fourth week told Cherwell, “It’s not a huge deal but it is frustrating that we could never get away with handing something in that late. It seems like one rule for tutors and another for students.”

However, another second year English student commented, “My tutor is like a machine – she returns our collections almost immediately. It’s frightening.”

Mansfield Theology tutor and University Lecturer David Lincicum stated, “It’s probably not bad to have a deadline for returning collections to students and most colleges I’ve worked with have a deadline around the end of second to the end of fourth week, which seems reasonable. This ensures that feedback is given to a student when the experience of sitting the collection is still fresh in the mind.”

He continued, “Collections serve an important role in focusing the mind and allowing an opportunity to submit one’s understanding of the subject to external review. In an ideal situation, students would view a collection as an opportunity to display one’s knowledge and test one’s interpretations, while tutors will use the collection as a means of formative assessment and so as a way to contribute to a student’s induction into the discipline.”

He conceded, “They are, of course, also helpful in catching out wandering students while time remains for them to correct themselves.”

Wednesday’s Council meeting heard that JCR Presidents, Academic Affairs Officers and Divisional Board representatives have all repeatedly raised the issue of the timely return of collections. Many students feel that colleges should consider instituting a fixed point by which collections must be returned, in order to ensure that undergraduates can receive marks and comments in good time to address issues. Colleges will be putting this proposal to their tutorial committees in the next couple of weeks.

In the second week of this term, JCR Presidents and Academic Affairs officers discussed collections as one of four priority issues, with the sub topics of the promptness of the return of collections; consistency in the system of setting collections; and the relationship of collections to students’ academic progress.

The motion this week proposed that “Collections are a valuable exercise when undergraduates understand the role of collections and are prepared for them,” adding, “It is important that both the undergraduates and tutors take them seriously.” It suggested that in order to maximise the benefit of collections, they need to be returned in a timely way and that feedback given to undergraduates can have a significant impact on the value of collections.

The motion was proposed by Sara Polakova, JCR President of St Hugh’s, and seconded by Hannah Cusworth (Brasenose), OUSU Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs. Cusworth will be taking the matter to the Senior Tutors Committee, where it will be discussed on Monday of sixth week.

Nick Cooper, OUSU’s Academic Affairs campaigns officer, said, “I believe collections can be highly useful in undergraduates’ development: they allow for early revision and consolidation, a way for tutors to check students’ ongoing performance, and an opportunity to receive detailed feedback on your current work.

“However it is vital to this process that collections be returned in a timely fashion, and this report focuses on the challenges that students often face in terms of insufficient feedback or late return of collections, if they are even returned at all.”

He added, “We hope this report will persuade Colleges that collections are an important part of undergraduate teaching, and that tutors should return them to students within four weeks of taking the exams, if not sooner.”

One third year told Cherwell, “I have only ever done one collection in exam conditions when I haven’t been shown the question paper beforehand.” When asked about the proposed changes she commented, “The fact that in my experience collections have not been taken seriously is obviously going to disadvantage me when it comes to finals but at the moment I prefer being able to spend the holidays seeing my friends.”

An Oxford landlord has been ordered to pay almost £5000 after a faulty boiler could have put his student tenants at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Glaswegian GP, Dr Tariq Mahmood, appeared in Oxford Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to breaching gas safety regulations at his property in East Oxford.

A gas installer first discovered that the boiler was out of order in December 2010, and further investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the boiler had been faulty for two years.

Following Mahmood’s hearing, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Dozie Azubike commented, “Dr Mahmood’s lack of care could have had very serious consequences for his Oxford University student tenants.

‘Every year approximately 20 people die and many others suffer ill health from carbon monoxide poisoning. Unchecked gas appliances can become unsafe over time, exposing tenants to possible serious injuries or even fatality.

‘It is therefore vitally important that landlords fulfil their gas safety obligations to their tenants.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University commented, “We advise all students who are living out to know their rights and ensure that landlords undertake all necessary maintenance to ensure their safety. But we also recommend that every student in private accommodation should purchase and install an audible carbon monoxide alarm if one is not already fitted; it could save your life.”

Other Oxford students have expressed grievances about their landlords. A Pembroke Theology student told Cherwell, “We had an infestation of mice in our house. Despite promising to get pest control teams to exterminate the vermin, our landlord did nothing about it. Living out that year was hell.”

There was controversy at Worcester College’s recent JCR elections, as engineer Alex Hunt, who is currently a third year, secured the position of Freshers’ Rep.

The role  involves organising Freshers’ Week and welcoming the incoming class in the college community, and is traditionally the preserve of younger years.

Worcester JCR President Samuel Barker acknowledged that, “Convincing the JCR that a fourth year would be right for the role was always going to be swimming against the tide of convention.”
He added, “His achievement of over 50% of the vote in the First Round of the election is a highly commendable effort when three able candidates were in the running.”

Student Adam Taylor explained that one of the issues surrounding the election was that “A JCR motion was put forward during the week of campaigning to allow year abroad students to vote. Obviously these are third year students, and so it was seen as a ploy to boost Alex’s chance of success.”

He commented, “Some freshers may feel that Alex is running for a joke, or to be spiteful, in taking what is traditionally a second year position. However, he husted really well and has all the qualities to be a great rep.”

Another undergraduate told Cherwell, “Rumours circulated through college saying that the JCR constitution was being combed to find anything that might disqualify Alex from the election.”
However Hunt’s opponent Sean Walker offered his support, stating that although he initially didn’t think that a third year would be ideal for the job of Freshers’ Rep, he sees Alex as a “friendly and hardworking guy” who will “make a good Freshers’ Rep if he tries.”

Student Rolf Merchant reflected, “Anyone from any year can run for a position in the JCR. It just so happens that at Worcester it is almost always first years. In this case a third year has won an election, thus breaking a vague (hardly cast-iron) convention.”

A group of MPs have refused to endorse the Government’s choice of director for its university access body. This has led to anger within the government, especially from Vince Cable, the minister responsible for the appointment.

Members of the Commons Select Committee for Business, Innovation and Skills advised the government to undertake a new recruitment process instead of selecting Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, to lead the Office of Fait Access (OFFA).
Although the decision cannot force the government into action, it does highlight a difference in opinion within the coalition. Cable’s selection was supported by education minister Michael Gove, along with higher education minister David Willets and social mobility adviser Alan Milburn.

However the four members of the committee which rejected Ebdon were Conservatives, drawing criticism from their Lib Dem colleague.

The committee report on the matter stated, “While he demonstrated an all-round understanding of widening participation, we were not convinced by Professor Ebdon’s descriptions of the root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities.”

They added, “Therefore we have to question his evidence in respect of two of the criteria for selection, namely, ‘promote the strengths of the arguments in face of opposition’ and ‘communicate persuasively and publicly, with excellent presentational skills’.”

Robin McGhee, Lib Dem candidate for Oxford City Council and St Anne’s undergraduate told Cherwell, “Opposing this appointment is an attack on the powerful concessions the Lib Dems got in government on this matter. By opposing it, the Tories have had their cake, eaten it, sicked it up, and eaten it again, with claret.”

Miles Coates, Oxford University Conservative Association President disagreed, stating, “The MPs had legitimate doubts about Professor Ebdon’s suitability for the role, and they would have done a disservice to access and to their personal principles had they not expressed them.
The committee’s decision came just days before the government abandoned plans to impose penalties on students who pay off university loans early, a policy which Cable had intended to introduce.

This scheme would cost graduates thousands if they chose to clear their debts within 30 years of leaving university. However ministers claim that the consultation process demonstrated that those most likely to be hit by extra payments would not be the most wealthy but those earning around £18,000.

Coates described the decision as “welcome news,” adding, “Penalising such people for being financially responsible is grossly unfair.”

However Socialist Workers Party member Nathan Akehurst commented, “The U-turn on loan repayments exposes the logic of the tuition fee raise for what it was, not to ‘improve student choice’ or whatever chimera they constructed about it, but to force poorer students to pay for a macroeconomic crisis they were not responsible for.”

Matt Waller, PPE student, stated, “The interest rate for student loans is, by definition, lessor or equal to the rate of inflation. This means that the people who wait to pay it off are actually paying relatively less money. A penalty for early repayment is an unjustifiable tax on those who want to provide the government with more money in real terms.”

A recent survey conducted by Ernst & Young has revealed that students are unwilling to take risks and find it difficult to overcome setbacks.

The study, devised by the Centre of Applied Positive Psychology (Capp), found that students are better at building relationships and having a sense of humour than managing time effectively.

Following figures that reveal that 22% of 16-24 year olds are out of work, the findings are partly intended to assist students in ensuring that they are strong applicants for graduate jobs.
Alex Linley, Director at Capp, explained that students ought to focus on areas in which they are already strong ‘rather than trying to cover all bases,’ as this would help build confidence and ‘improve levels of resilience.”

Stephen Isherwood, head of graduate recruitment at Ernst & Young added, ‘A good degree from a respected university no longer guarantees students a job,’ but that offers were made to candidates able ‘to work hard and thrive in difficult situations.’

Some Oxford students, however, have expressed that they already feel well prepared by the Oxford system. Ania Dulnik, President of Oxford Women in Politics, said, ‘The way in which the Oxford educational experience is structured for undergraduates inherently challenges them in a way that has them grappling with the said ‘weaknesses’ in the study. They are expected to manage their own time and workload, and to be brave and daring in their academic endeavours.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University agreed, saying, “First of all, an Oxford degree course is intellectually demanding, but secondly at the heart of an Oxford education lies the tutorial system. In the course of tutorials, students must learn to present and defend an argument with some of the best scholars in the subject. This helps to develop skills in key areas related to problem solving, leadership, and communication, which puts Oxford graduates at an advantage in the jobs market.”

Oxford may also quantitatively be in a stronger position than many other universities, as research conducted by its own Careers Service shows. A survey completed in 2009 compared the prevalence of certain skills among Oxford University students compared to ‘UK students’. It found that in all but two out of eight categories, Oxford students were at least over 50% more likely to have the skills than those at other universities. The two categories, ‘business and customer relations’ and ‘team working’ indicated that 66% and 62% of Oxford students had ‘about the same’ level of skill as others.

The Careers Service can point to the development of certain schemes in response to these figures, such as Oxford Student Consultancy, which gives teams of 4-5 students the opportunity to work with local business on ‘big, strategic decisions,’ both assisting the business and allowing them to build “good commercial awareness.’

However, despite scoring well on ‘leadership’ in which around 64% of Oxford students were ‘more likely’ or ‘much more likely’ to have the skills than other students, a stark gender disparity exists, as far fewer women apply for leadership positions than men. Equally, the Careers Service found a gender disparity in salaries. In the Medical Sciences, 71% of male students earn the mean, compared to 41% of female students. There is a similar disparity, though not quite as strong, in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, although in Maths, Physical and Life Sciences, pay was roughly equal.

Lucy Hawkins from the Careers Service said that this issue is being actively addressed. ‘We take the issue of gender equality very seriously, and offer both individual support and programmes like Springboard, a version of the award-winning Women’s Development Program developed uniquely for Oxford undergraduates. I’m particularly excited about Springboard as it squarely addresses the gender salary gap we see in Oxford students just 6 months after graduation.”

The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies’ new building is set to open in 2013 after a nine-year delay. The opening will see the Centre move from its current location on George Street to a 3.25 acre site next to Magdalen College.

The building on the new Marston Road site was expected to open in 2004 after work began in 2002 but had to stop due to issues of funding.

Registrar Richard Makepeace said, “As is often the case, deadlines have been stretched. We were expecting to be ready to open by the end of this year but we are hoping to have the opening in 2013. There will be work going on throughout the year, which is basically the fitting out of the interior.”

The centre was initially thought to cost £60 million. A figure for the final spend is not yet available, but it is thought that it will certainly exceed the initial budgetary estimate.

The Centre is a Recognised Independent Centre of the University of Oxford, set up in 1985. It is not a part of the University, but works with the University in research and teaching. Other Recognised Independent Centres of the University include the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

The OCIS website describes the new building as blending “the architectural features of the traditional Oxford colleges with the forms and styles of the classical period of Islam. The result is a unique symbol of the harmony between two ancient traditions of scholarship brought together for the pursuit of knowledge.” Islamic and Western culture and architecture are brought together within the design, and registrar Richard Makepeace said that “If there is a message in the building it is that we are not as different as we sometimes tend to believe.”

The new building will have accommodation for up to 40 graduate students, as well as a mosque, minaret, dining hall and parking.  Another benefit of the move will be the increase in library space. OCIS said that “the move to purpose-built new premises will increase the Library’s size fourfold and enable wider access to a much more extensive collection.”

The Centre aims to provide a meeting point for the Western and Islamic worlds of learning, contributing to multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary study of the Islamic world. The OCIS enjoys the support of its patron Prince Charles as well as visits from other international figures including Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN.

Mohammad Ali, member of Oxford University Islamic Society, commented, ‘Our general thoughts about the new centre are positive, since we appreciate the existing centre on George Street is somewhat small.’

New College was the scene of another robbery last week after two members of the public stole a PlayStation 3, five of its controllers, and eight PS3 games from the JCR.

The incident, which took place last Thursday, comes just three months after copies of both Fifa 11 and Fifa 12 have been removed from the JCR and not recovered.

This time, however, the perpetrators were spotted by Conference, Events and Tourism manager Stephen McGlynn, who followed them to Mansfield Road before alerting the police.They were arrested and held in police custody on Thursday night.

On Friday, they pleaded guilty in Magistrates Court and were both sentenced to four and a half months imprisonment.

Thanks to invisible ink identification and PAT testing certificates, there was ample proof that the items recovered did belong to the New College JCR.

Reports suggest that the two men, Marian Cobraretti and Richard Mitchell, were already wanted by Thames Valley Police for other burglary charges.

A brief survey of New College students suggested that many were “relieved beyond all imagination” that the PS3 and its accessories had now been returned.

Sam Cato, a first year Classicist, commented, ‘This theft has had terrible consequences. Without the PS3 and associated sports games, asserting my alpha-male dominance in college is considerably more difficult.’

When asked about further details on the convicted men, the police confirmed that Cobraretti was a resident of Toot Hill Butts, Headington, and Mitchell’s registered address was at a central Oxford night shelter.

In an email to members of the JCR, vice-president Louie Dane said that the theft “needs to open our eyes.

“We came extremely close to losing a very valuable set of goods, and this isn’t the first time things have gone missing.” He added, “From now on, therefore, the JCR MUST be kept OFF the latch at all times.”

He also stated that he was looking into the possibility of giving JCR committee members the right to fine members who do not lock up after use.

President Oscar Lee was said not to favour this solution.When approached by Cherwell for comment, Lee stated, “The matter has highlighted the importance of security in the JCR and we have already increased restrictions on access to the JCR.

“All JCRs are vulnerable to theft of this kind and I would urge other colleges to review their security.” He added, “The JCR is indebted to Stephen McGlynn for following the thieves and calling the police and without him we would have lost some very valuable items. He is a hero in the eyes of many in the JCR.”

In addition, he described the stolen console as “very popular indeed,” although conceded that, “Some people have commented that the JCR has been a more welcoming environment this last week without the PS3.”

McGlynn himself stated that ‘The recovery of our property is down to some exemplary teamwork between New College staff and porters and the local police.’

One anonymous New College undergraduate said, “The charge may be ‘petty theft’, but rest assured this is a serious crime. If nothing else, the theft of our PS3 – as well as the theft of FIFA 12 last year – is crippling our abusive, exclusive JCR ‘socialising’.”Robin Bhaduri, famed video-gamer from Keble, remarked, “I like playing ps3 [sic].”